Digital Media Cafe Blog – Featuring Tennant’s, Sportlobster and the NASCAR Chase Grid – David Granger

App Launch: Just Point For Your Pint Abroad

You know the feeling you’ve got your tickets, your scarf and your flights sorted, but the nagging feeling at the back of your head is a worry you won’t be able to order a pie and a pint at games abroad. Well, if you’re a member of the Tartan Army, Scotland’s fervent football fans, help is now at hand. Tennant’s Lager has launched its pointer app in time for the Euro 2016 football qualifiers to help its members travel as easy as possible.

The app is an upgrade of paper versions previously handed out and will deal with all those travel necessities you need to translate: public transport, hotel rooms, stadiums and – of course – beer. Fans just select the desired service and point to the image on the phone. It’s a digital makeover of those times when you pointed at a guide book if you didn’t speak the local lingo. It’s currently available on android and, curiously, desktop. We’ll have a link if you need to know more – just point your mouse towards our blog.

Sportlobster: Making and Breaking News in Social

You know a social channel has started to really mean business when it not only hosts communities and conversations but actually makes and breaks the news. Sportlobster.com has done both in the last couple of days. Making the news, well it’s teamed up with Crystal Palace FC and been unveiled as its official social media partner. The clever bit for both parties is that the content on Sportlobster will be unique. It will be a channel and a destination. Sportlobster will get a big presence at every Palace home game and access to behind-the-scenes content which will sit exclusively on the platform.

Sportlobster launched in April last year and allows interaction between clubs, teams, athletes and fans across a really diverse range of sports. And interestingly the channel and its ambassadors are starting to break news on the channel. When Michael Owen wanted to have his say on the big news of transfer deadline day he did it on… Sportlobster of which he has an investment and stake. This was clever stuff as both he, his views and Sportlobster received press attention when he gave his thoughts on Manchester United’s signings. And lack of them in defense.

Racing Ahead: Omnigon’s Digital Plans for Nascar

And, as iSportconnect reported earlier this week NASCAR has introduced a comprehensive range of media strategies for promotion of the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. The TV advertising, digital promotions, driver appearances, track marketing and social media campaign will raise awareness of the new race format for both existing Nascar fans and newbies. and is designed to raise awareness of the new Chase format in hopes of engaging new and existing NASCAR fans.

To increase engagement and interest, NASCAR announced a digital bracket competition called the Perfect Chase Grid Challenge on NASCAR.com, will allow fans to fill out a Chase Grid, NASCAR’s playoff-like bracket. NASCAR.com also plans to offer a round-by-round game called the Chase Grid Battle, in which entrants pick which drivers they think will advance. Both these games have been developed and built by NASCAR’s long-term partner, New-York based digital consulting firm Omnigon.

The main focus of NASCAR and Omnigon was to develop competitions that would appeal to fans and encourage more viewers in a similar way to the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament where fans also fill out brackets, which promotes interest in the sport. Along with the digital game, NASCAR has also created a social media promotion where they encourage fans to submit photos using the hashtag #MyChaseNation.

Omnigon has built a reputation across the sports, media and entertainment industries as one of the smartest, most innovative companies to deliver strategic, technical and creative guidance.

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Having spent eight seasons in Formula One managing the digital channels for world champions Red Bull Racing, David Granger now runs Fact 51, a social and digital content agency.

David’s 

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